


When I Dream (I'm Alone with You)

by xhorizen



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: AU - Sometimes I'll be making stuff up to go with what I want to happen, AU - Will and Mia will never exist in this 'verse, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Build, Song prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-20 15:50:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17625278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xhorizen/pseuds/xhorizen
Summary: Written for the Tumblr Klaine/CrissColfer Valentine's Day Challenge 2019. Song prompts are dropped every night for 14 days, this story will have one chapter per prompt."At 23 years old, Darren Criss thought he had life figured out. Well, maybe not so much figured out so much as he really thought he knew what his own life was going to be like."





	1. Take A Chance On Me

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for checking this out! I haven't written CrissColfer in FOREVER and I am so excited to be participating in this challenge! This will be/should be updated every day for the next 14 days as prompts are dropped every day, so be sure to subscribe to the story if you want to stay updated! Please let me know what you think in the comments, and thank you for reading!  
>   
> Song prompt - Take A Chance on Me - ABBA  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"Listen to some music, maybe just talking, get to know you better"_

** 2010 **

At 23 years old, Darren Criss thought he had life figured out. Well, maybe not so much figured out so much as he really thought he knew what his own life was going to be like. He was a performer, a singer, an entertainer, and he was going to make sure that he always did that with his life, no matter what he had to do to make it happen. Auditions were plentiful, he had a great agent who kept them flowing, but when it came to actually booking the gigs, everything seemed to fall flat. Sure, he had a small recurring role on _Eastwick_ , but a five episode arc wasn’t enough to keep paying the bills. 

When Darren auditioned for _Glee_ again, he had zero expectation of getting the role. He’d cut his hair in order to look the role of Blaine Anderson, but it was still a pipe dream and he knew it. He left the audition on a Monday, confident he had nailed it, and then all of a sudden, on Friday, he got the call telling him he got the role and he almost felt his life change. He was on set within a week, meeting everyone he had spent the previous year watching perform their roles on the TV show, and he spent his entire first day pinching himself as though he would wake up and find it was all a dream. 

His first interaction with Chris Colfer was… Less than what he had expected it to be. He was enamored with the kid and bounded up to him like an excited puppy to introduce himself, but all he got in return was the cold shoulder. He tried not to let it bother him too much, after all, he was the new guy and he didn’t know Chris, nor did Chris even owe him anything, but he couldn’t help but feel like he had made a major misstep that he wouldn’t be able to recover from. He tried everything he could think of to recover from the first impression he had made, he smiled when he saw Chris on set, but didn’t approach him or talk to him, but all he ever got in return was an icy glare followed by a turned back. 

Things went on like that for two weeks before Darren finally worked up the courage to pull Lea aside. It was hard to find time alone with any of the other cast members considering the Warbler’s were consistently filming on location and were isolated from everyone else, but he made a special trip during an off afternoon because he knew he needed to do something if he was going to have a good working relationship with Chris.  
“What are you doing here, I thought you guys had the afternoon off!” Lea pulled him into a hug when she opened her trailer door. Relief flooded Darren’s body as he hugged her back and followed her inside, sitting down on the small couch. She curled up next to him and looked at him expectantly. 

“Uh, well, okay so I know we don’t know each other that well, or really at all, but I kind of thing I really fucked things up with Chris, and I know you know him and I just, uh, well I need to fix things with him.” Lea looked at him for a second before bursting into laughter. Darren felt his face turn hot and went to speak again, but Lea held up her hand to stop him. 

“Oh honey, it’s not you, it’s just how Chris is. He’s really shy and it takes him a bit to warm up to people. You’re, like, the opposite of shy, and while he hasn’t told me this himself, I really think he’s a little bit intimidated of you. You’re the new guy, but you’re not afraid to make friends and laugh and you’re comfortable in your own skin. It took Chris a while to get to where you’re already at.” Darren bit his lip and looked down at his lap, not knowing what to say. 

“I was just really excited to meet him. I’ve watched the first season of this show so many times, I just felt like I knew him and I couldn’t help but want to know him.” Lea reached out and put a hand on his knee, giving it a small squeeze. 

“You don’t know him though, Darren. You know Kurt, and believe me, Kurt and Chris are two very different people.” He looked up into her face, ready to argue that he knew that, he wasn’t stupid, but then he realized… Maybe he had thought that. He thought that he had known Chris just from watching him on screen, but no, he knew Kurt, and he felt like a complete idiot for thinking otherwise. 

“Shit. I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing.” He rolled his eyes at himself before looking out the window of the trailer. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Darren lost in his own head. How was he going to show Chris that he wanted to know him, the real him, and not just the character he played on a screen? 

“Just give him time, and more importantly, treat him like a normal person, and let yourself get to know the real him.” 

“Thanks, Lea.” He leaned in and gave her a quick hug before getting up.

“Chris is a great guy, and a great friend. You’ll see in time, don’t worry.”  
\--

Two more weeks passed before Darren managed to get a genuine smile out of Chris. He took Lea’s advice and kept things casual, mostly just interacting when needed for the sake of filming. One particularly long night of filming a Warbler’s dance number, Darren grabbed two bottles of water and walked over to Chris who was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, tapping away on his laptop. 

“You were doing a great job out there.” He offered the water to Chris and he hesitated a second before accepting it. 

“Thanks.” He cracked the bottle open and took a sip, glancing down at his laptop before back up at Darren. “You did a good job too. You look like you’ve taken dance lessons before.” 

“Oh, far from it!” Darren threw his head back and laughed. “I’m a theater kid, so I’m just used to moving my body in ways it’s not used to. Improve classes, movement classes, all that jazz.” He gestured down to the empty spot next to Chris. “Do you mind if I join you?” Chris seemed to hesitate, and Darren was about to apologize for intruding when he nodded his head. 

“Sure.” He scooted over a little to make room for Darren, even though there was plenty of space. Darren sat down quickly and crossed his legs in front of himself, looking over at Chris with a grin on his face. 

“I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot when I first started.” Chris’ face turned bright red, but he didn’t speak, so Darren continued. “I know I can be kind of…” He trailed off, looking for the right word to use. 

“Enthusiastic?” He looked up at Chris and couldn’t help but grin when he saw the smile on his face. 

“Yes, exactly!” Darren laughed and shrugged. “I’ve watched the show since the beginning and bought the first half of season one when it came out on DVD and watched it over and over. Being here is kind of like a dream come true, and seeing you in the flesh was like… Kind of awesome. And crazy.” He paused, looking down at his hands, the smile still on his face. “I’m kind of a fanboy about the things I like, like I’m really into Harry Potter and in college, my friends and I even wrote a Harry Potter musical that we put –“

“I know about that, I’ve seen it. A few times.” Darren’s head whipped up to look at Chris, his jaw dropped. 

“No you didn’t. Which, like, it’s totally fine because I don’t expect anyone to know it, I’m honestly shocked that so many people have seen it.” Chris shook his head. 

“No, I totally watched it! A few times, actually, I’m kind of obsessed with it.” Chris’ face turned even redder than before and Darren couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Dude, that’s so awesome, I’m flattered! Like, it’s just a stupid project for college and so many people have connected with it, and it just reminds me of why I do what I do, ya know?” 

“Yeah, I get that.” Chris looked over at his laptop and took a deep breath before closing the lid. “Hey, do you want to go get dinner after we’re done tonight? Maybe we could get to know each other a little better?” 

“YES!” Darren’s voice came out a lot louder than he meant for it to and he screwed up his face in embarrassment as Chris laughed. He opened his mouth to speak again, but a beeping sound came from the next room and Chris groaned. 

“Break time is over. You ready to get back to work?” He stood up and held his hand out to Darren. He took it and let himself be hoisted up, a permanent smile etched on his face. 

“More than ready, I was born for this!” He laughed. “And I was born to be cheesy.” 

“You don’t say.” Another grin made it’s way to Chris’ face and Darren couldn’t help but feel proud that he had been the one to put it there. He was definitely considering that an accomplishment for the day.


	2. You Take My Breath Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read this so far! Let me know what you think about this one <3
> 
> Song Prompt - You Take My Breath Away - Queen 
> 
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"Every time you make a move, You destroy my mind, And the way you touch, I lose control and shiver deep inside, You take my breath away"_

** April 2011 **

The wrap party Season Two of _Glee_ was everything Darren expected and nothing he expected at the same time. Over the last nine months, he’d grown to know the people filling the room around him and he consistently found himself wondering how did he get so lucky. He was living his dream, singing and acting almost every day, and earning an actual living while doing it. He had long since stopped pinching himself every morning when he woke up, finally convinced it wasn’t a dream, but still had moments when he was just in awe of his life. 

“You look like you’re thinking way too deep for the kind of party that this is!” Darren smiled wide as Chris walked up to him, handing him a cup. “Drink this, it should alleviate that nasty condition we call overthinking.” A snort made its way out of Darren’s throat before he took a sip of the drink. 

“You’re one to talk, Colfer! You overthink us all, Mr. I’m not even 21 yet but I act like I’m a grandpa.” Chris simply shrugged and let a coy smile take over his lips. 

“Hmmm, yes well, some of us wear it better than others, I suppose.” Darren rolled his eyes and elbowed Chris in the side softly. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, old man.” They stood next to each other in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. They’d gotten to know each other really well ever since they’d started over, and he even considered Chris one of his closest friends. They would hang out during breaks at work, but would also have dinner after long shoots, go out to the movies on the weekends, and just hang out and binge watch trash TV in their off time. 

Often times, Darren would wonder what his and Chris’ relationship looked like to outsiders - A gay guy and a straight guy being friends wasn’t unusual where he came from in San Francisco, but he knew that where Chris was from, it was definitely not the norm. It took a few months for Chris to stop shrinking away from his touches, hugs or even just a small touch on the shoulder. Darren tried not to take it too personally, Chris had even told him it just wasn’t something he was used to, but it still felt like a major breakthrough the first time he hugged Chris unexpectedly and he just leaned into the touch instead of trying to pull away. 

“You’re doing that thinking too hard thing again, Dare. You should drink more.” Darren turned to Chris and lifted his cup to his lips, taking two huge gulps, wincing as the alcohol burned its way down his throat.

“You happy?” He rolled his eyes and grinned at the younger man. “I never took you to be such a bad influence, ya know.” 

“Oh, I know, but that’s why I get away with so much - I look innocent and well meaning, but then BAM!” Chris yelled the last word almost in Darren’s face, causing him to jump a little in surprise. “I come out of nowhere with my peer pressure ways.” Darren held his gaze for a solid 10 seconds, not moving a muscle, before he burst into laughter. 

“Where did you even come from, dude?” He leaned into Chris’ body and leaned his head against his shoulder. “Did Lea give you one of her pot brownies? Because I swear I’ve never seen you act like this before.” Chris wrapped an arm around Darren’s shoulders and he almost fell over. Chris almost never initiated contact like that. 

“I resent that. I can be fun without drugs or alcohol! Just because some of us need things to enhance our personalities doesn’t mean everyone does!” He paused and then cracked up laughing. “But yeah, she gave me one. Well, half of one. Half of a half, actually. Said I would regret it if I took too much.”

“I AM SHOCKED AND APPALLED!” Darren pulled back from Chris and looked at him in mock outrage. “You have fun brownies and didn’t give me one? And here I thought we were friends.” Chris rolled his eyes before reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. 

“And here I was, being the nice guy, only to get yelled at.” He held out his palm, showing Darren a hunk of what looked like…

“You’re the best!” Darren grabbed the brownie out of his hand and unwrapped it quickly, popping it into his mouth and making a face at the weed taste. 

“You better remember that, too!” Darren simply laughed and leaned his head onto Chris’ shoulder, enjoying the moment. 

\--

Darren was high. He knew the feeling intimately and welcomed it happily, ready to enjoy the next few hours blissfully floating. He somehow made it outside to lay in the grass with Chris joining him. The night air in LA in May was still a little chilly, well, not really actually chilly, but cooler than the days, and he wrapped his arms around his chest, shivering as a breeze swept over them. He turned onto his side and watched Chris as he looked up at the sky. 

“Does your brain ever turn off?” Chris’ voice was soft and he didn’t turn to look at Darren. Darren knew he should be embarrassed to be caught, but he simply smiled and shrugged. 

“I don’t think so? At least, not that I know how to anyway. I’ve always been like this, just ramped up to 11, although I think I’m down to like…” He trailed off, thinking for a second. “I think I might be at an 8 right now? Which is pretty low for me, so it’s not too bad.” 

“You’re crazy. I don’t understand how you’re so on, all the time. Doesn’t it get tiring?” Chris finally turned his head to look at Darren and he was struck by the intensity in his eyes. Something tugged in his stomach, he didn’t know what it meant, they almost felt like… Butterflies? 

“Not really. I enjoy it, I guess that helps. And I’m, like, a major people person, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about me.” He smiled and reached out to Chris, placing one hand on his arm. “You don’t have to live up to being someone you aren’t, you know that right?” Chris shrugged and closed his eyes, his face still point at Darren. 

“I guess so. It’s just hard, sometimes at the end of the day, all I want to do is go home and sleep for 12 years, and then die, and then maybe never wake up?” Darren felt the wind knocked out of him at Chris’ admission. He must have sense the change in Darren’s touch because he snapped his eyes open and used his opposite hand to reach over and grab Darren’s hand. “I don’t mean like I’m going to kill myself, Dare.” He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and turned his hand over, lacing his fingers with Chris’. 

“You can’t scare me like that, Colfer. You mean too much to me to joke about that kind of thing.” A flash of emotion swept over Chris’ face, but Darren was too far gone to understand what it meant. He tried to look for it again, maybe if he saw it another time, he would understand, but it was gone for good before he could even gather the mental capacity to begin to wrap his head around it. 

“I’m not going anywhere, doofus, I just get tired. Being around people all day, every day, it’s like working three jobs at one time, and then I have the book I’m writing that I have to have finished by the middle of summer, and just thinking about it makes me want to cry.” 

“You need a break.” Darren moved his body so that he was closer to Chris without touching him, except for their intertwined hands. “You work too much.” 

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you!” Darren rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“That’s not the same, don’t even try. I get energy from doing as much as I do, you… Don’t. You’re stretching yourself too thin, you need to give yourself some rest before you snap.”

“Once the book is done, I’ll take a vacation.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that, Colfer. Hell, we should go to Disneyland or something!” He felt excitement start coursing through his veins at the idea of planning flooded his brain. 

“Uhhh, I think we have two different ideas of a vacation, Dare.” He laughed and squeezed Darren’s hand. “Disneyland sounds exhausting, I was thinking maybe going up to Napa, going to a couple of vineyards, ya know, since I’ll be 21 and all.” 

“Alright then, it’s settled. After we’re done with the Glee Live tour and you’re done with your book, and you’re 21 -” He paused and winked at Chris, who blushed at the mention. “We’ll go to Napa for a vacation and drink lots of wine to celebrate. And rest a lot, since like… That’s the point of the whole thing.” 

“You don’t have to go with me, ya know. I’m a big kid, I can take care of myself and make sure I get my own rest.” Darren rolled his eyes. 

“Christopher, if I believed that you could relax, I wouldn’t be forcing my company onto you to make sure it happened, now would I?” Chris closed his eyes and smiled. 

“No, I guess not.” Darren moved his head to look back up at the sky and watched the stars for a few minutes before Chris spoke again. “You’re wrong, though.” 

“I’m never wrong.” The words came out of Darren’s mouth automatically and Chris couldn’t hold back a small laugh. 

“You’re not forcing your company on me.” Another pull in Darren’s stomach and he still couldn’t figure out what it meant. “I’m always happy to have you around.” Chris squeezed his hand before sitting up. “Come on, we should go back inside. It’s getting too cold out here.” Darren rolled his eyes in protest, but got up anyway. 

“You’re not even from LA, you’re from Northern Cali, this isn’t even close to being cold!” Chris tugged Darren to his feet and they started walking back toward the party hand in hand. Napa was going to be fantastic.


	3. I Could Fall In Love With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late, I procrastinated doing everything in my life to play stupid games on my phone and watch TV. Better late than never though, right? Thanks to everyone who has been reading, hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Song Prompt - I Could Fall In Love With You - Selena  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"I could lose my heart tonight, If you don't turn and walk away"_

** July 2011 **

If Darren were given one word to describe Napa, it would be heaven. The Glee Live tour, while amazing, had been absolutely exhausting. He felt like he hadn’t slept in years, and taken a shower in even longer (though, in actuality, he had, this is important to note). He frequently forgot what city, state, and time zone he was in, and when they went overseas for the tour, he simply gave up even trying. Instead, he just let people tell him where he needed to go and he followed, hoping he would make it to the right place at the right time. 

He was lucky enough to find out on tour that Blaine was going to be bumped up to a series regular character, which meant Darren had a regular paying gig for the next… However long Blaine was going to be sticking around. He counted himself super lucky and wanted to tell everyone in the world, but couldn’t for another few days, when Fox made the announcement themselves. 

Napa was a vacation for Chris, but it was also going to serve as a celebration for Darren as well, since Chris was one of the few people he interacted with on a daily basis that knew what was going on. They spent a few weeks at their respective houses, relaxing and trying to unwind from tour before heading to Napa. Darren wanted to drive there, it was only six hours away and he felt it would be fun, but Chris quickly vetoed the idea, stating he got car sick and that a road trip sounded like the least relaxing thing he could think of. Darren relented and bought two plane tickets, though Chris argued against Darren paying. He had insisted, saying it was his birthday present and Chris relented, though he still grumbled about it every chance he got. 

They’d booked one room with two queen beds at a small hotel near one of the smaller vineyards and upon check in were told that there was only a king suite available. Darren felt his face grow red, of course their booking would be mixed up, it almost felt like it was planned that way! But luckily there was a pull out couch in the room, and Chris didn’t seem too bothered, so he just went with it. The tug in the pit of his stomach grew worse, he almost felt like he was going to be sick, but it was a feeling he’d grown accustomed to while on tour, so he was almost able to block it out. 

Almost. 

Once they settled into their room, they made their way to the vineyard and started the tour. Chris was instantly red from the heat of the day and pulled on a hat while slathering sunscreen all over every exposed inch of his body. Darren couldn’t help but laugh because, well, he couldn’t relate and it was just funny. 

“You won’t be laughing when you’re 40 and look 60 from sun exposure. I’ll be 35 and looking not a day over 21!” Darren rolled his eyes and focused back on the tour as they walked around the rows and rows of grapes that were grown specifically for the purpose of making wine. He thought he would be bored on the tour, honestly, but the tour guide made everything so interesting that he was shocked when it was over. They were led to an outdoor patio where they would be given samples of all of the different types of wine the vineyard made, and Darren settled into the chair partially in the sun so as to give Chris the one in the shade. 

“Can’t have you prematurely aging your skin now can we?” Chris, in a rare act of immaturity, stuck out his tongue and made a face. 

“Give me time, Criss, and we’ll see who has the last laugh!” 

\--

The wine kept coming and coming until Darren was almost falling off of his chair, drunk. Chris has hit that point a long time before and had switched to water for a while, but he was still relatively tipsy by the time they were ready to go back to their room. Darren had a hard time walking in a straight line while sober, and while drunk, it was nearly impossible. Chris rolled his eyes and slung his arm around Darren’s waist, guiding him back to their hotel. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be the older and wiser of the pair of us?” 

“Uhhh, I’m not that much older than you. We could have gone to school together, so like that basically makes us the same age!” 

“That’s a terrible argument, do you even know how to do math?” Darren just grunted and laughed, his head swimming too much to try to form a good response. When they got to their room, Chris fumbled with the keycard, causing Darren to almost fall over in a fit of giggles. 

“And you say that you’re not drunk, you can’t even get the door open!” Chris just ignored him and finally got the door open, pushing it with an air of accomplishment. 

“I call the bed!” Chris ran into the room and hopped onto the king size bed, sprawling out so that his body took up most of the space. Darren stumbled into the room after him and frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“Hey no fair, I’m older and more brittle, I should get it!” Chris snorted and shook his head. 

“No way old man, this is my birthday trip slash relaxation from too much work, remember?!” Darren looked down at him, taking a few extra seconds to just stare as his eyes brought him into focus. 

“But we’re celebrating me now too, I want the bed!” Before Chris could respond, he hopped into it, landing so that he was laying next to him, his head next to his chest. “See, there’s plenty of room, we can share!” He propped himself up on one arm and looked at Chris, squinting when there were suddenly three of him. 

“You look like you’re gonna be sick, dude.” Darren groaned and dropped his head back down to the bed, closing his eyes. 

“I haven’t had this much to drink since college, why am I like this?!” Chris just laughed as Darren felt the bed shifting under him. “Where are you going?” He didn’t get a response, but heard Chris get off of the bed and leave the room. 

It felt like Chris had been gone for hours by the time he got back. Darren felt like he was in the ocean and the bed he was on was swaying back and forth, but not in a relaxing and pleasant way. The door opened and closed and he opened his eyes to see Chris walking toward the bed. 

“I thought you’d abandoned me.” Darren mumbled, though he wasn’t sure the words even made sense. Maybe he hadn’t even spoken at all, he couldn’t even tell. The bed dipped beneath him and he groaned, throwing out his arms to steady himself. 

“Can you sit up a little bit?” Chris was next to him, he could feel him, and suddenly he felt safe - He knew he would be okay. 

“Not really.” He tried anyway and made it up a little, opening his eyes to steady them on the man next to him. 

“Drink this.” He held out a water bottle and Darren took it with his free hand, cursing as he almost dropped it. “Take these with it.” He looked at Chris’ outstretched hand and saw pills. He tried to figure out how to take the pills while holding a water bottle and supporting himself and came to the conclusion that he could just open his mouth and Chris could put them there. 

So he did. 

Chris laughed and shook his head. “You look like a baby bird.” He said under his breath as he dropped the pills into his mouth one by one. Darren took a sip of water and got them down, wincing when one got stuck. 

“I hope those weren’t roofies, Christopher.” Darren glared at Chris, causing Chris to laugh even more. 

“Dare, no offense, but you wouldn’t even need to be roofied at this point. Not that I would even do that kind of thing, but like, well, oh my god. Shut up.” Chris’ face turned beet red and Darren tried to laugh, but ended up groaning instead. “Let’s get you situated to go to sleep, okay?” 

It took a few minutes, Darren needed to stop a twice because he thought he was going to throw up, but finally he was laying on the right half of the bed. “I guess you got your wish, you stubborn ass.” Chris leaned down and smoothed Darren’s hair out of his face. His stomach lurched, though not from nausea. He looked into Chris’ eyes and reached out a hand, placing it on his arm. 

“You can share it with me. I won’t bite.” He paused. “Well, I might cuddle you though. I do that. It’s a thing. Ask anyone.” A look passed over Chris’ face that Darren couldn’t comprehend, but finally he nodded. 

 

“If I wake up and you’re all over me in the morning, I reserve the right to tease you about it forever.” He walked over to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers, laying on his side facing Darren. 

“You promise forever?” Darren turned his head so he could see Chris when he asked the question. There was so much meaning behind it, he knew it, but he was too drunk to even realize just how much he was asking. 

“I promise forever.” Chris reached out and grabbed Darren’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze before taking it back. “I don’t think I could turn away now if I wanted to.” The last words came out soft, so soft Darren almost couldn’t hear them, and he wanted to respond, but as soon as his eyes closed to try to think about what he wanted to say, he was asleep.


	4. Love is in the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - Love is in the Air - John Paul Young
> 
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"And I don't know if I'm being foolish, Don't know if I'm being wise, But it's something that I must believe in, And it's there when I look in your eyes"_

** October 2011 **

Halloween was one of Darren’s favorite holidays, ask any of his friends and they’d be able to say that he always went all out, no matter what. Even his freshman year in college when he had walking pneumonia, he still dressed up in full Harry Potter garb and held court on the couch during the party, singing and playing his guitar in between coughing fits. His first Halloween with the Glee cast had to be amazing, he needed to show them how great of a party he could throw. He handed out invitations the old fashioned way, by hand three weeks before October 29th, and told everyone who got one that they absolutely had to be there. Most everyone seemed enthusiastic about the idea, though a couple people he didn’t really know kind of gave him a weird side-eye. He just smiled and kept on moving, not one to be deterred from his goals.

One invitation was left at the end of the day and that one was being saved for someone special – He had made Chris’ invitation by hand, though he knew he would probably look like a complete when he handed it to him. He just wanted Chris to know how important it was for him to be there, even if he looked like a complete fool while doing it. 

FIlming finished for the day and Darren rushed to Chris’ trailer. He knew he had his last scene finish taping only a little bit before Darren had, so he was pretty positive he would catch him there. He knocked on the door and bounced on the balls of his feet for the few seconds it took for Chris to answer the door. 

“You look way too hyper for someone who’s been filming all day.” Chris smiled and stepped aside, letting Darren into the trailer. He made himself at home on the couch, waiting for Chris to join him before speaking. 

“I have something for you!” He thrust the envelope into his hand and gave him an expectant look. Chris simply rolled his eyes good naturedly and opened it, taking the invitation out with a cloud of glitter falling into his lap. 

“Oh my god, Darren, seriously?!” Chris looked like he wanted to be annoyed and for a split second, he regretted filling the envelope with glitter, but then he saw the happy glint in Chris’ eyes and shrugged. 

“You need an invitation as fabulous as you are, what can I say?” Chris raised an eyebrow before looking down at the paper in his hands and took a few second to read it. 

“A halloween party? Really Darren, what are you, 12?” Darren gave Chris a mock hurt look and shoved him lightly in the shoulder. 

“I’ll have you know that halloween is the most important holiday of the year! It’s better than Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday combined, and you know how much I love all of this holidays, Colfer!” 

“Oh my god, you’re totally the type to go all out and dress up and everything, aren’t you?” Darren rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Um, duhhh, have you not been listening to me?! OF COURSE I DO!” He threw his hands up in the air, which caused Chris to burst into laughter. 

“Do I have to dress up?” 

“Costumes are mandatory, Christopher, I expect you to bring your A-Game!” Chris frowned and shook his head. 

“I’ve never been good at this kind of thing. Dressing up just drew attention to me at school, and I really didn’t need anything else for kids to laugh at me about.” Chris’ eveys fell to his lap and Darren instantly felt like an asshole. 

“Shit, Chris, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” He scooted over on the couch so that he was sitting next to him and slipped an arm around his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Chris shrugged and let his head fall onto Darren’s shoulder. 

“I know you didn’t, it’s not a big deal, I just never really got into it, ya know?” Darren nodded and leaned his cheek against the top of Chris’ head. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Darren spoke again. 

“Okay, so, you’re gonna work with Lea and come up with the best costume ever, you got it? I want to be surprised, but she will definitely be able to help you out. The party is going to be so much fun, and you’ll forget all about any bad experiences you’ve ever had with halloween, okay?” Chris pulled back from his position and looked into Darren’s eyes. Darren’s stomach tugged as it was wont to do any time he was around Chris and he smiled encouragingly. 

“Fineeeeeeee.” He smiled and shook his head. “If this turns to shit though, you’re the only one to blame!” 

\-- 

The night of the halloween party came and Darren was a nervous wreck. He’d spent weeks planning and buying decorations and food and spent at least a week decorating everything, only to realize the night before the party that he had COMPLETELY forgotten to get a costume together! He had to make trips to three separate halloween stores in order to find enough pieces to put together a respectable costume, but even then, he still felt like he was doing a half assed job of it. 

As the guests started to arrive, he answered the door anxiously each time, hoping that Chris would be the one standing there. Finally, an hour or so after the party had started, the doorbell rang and when Darren answered, his jaw dropped as he took in the sight in front of him. Chris and Lea had done matching costumes, going all out as Jareth and Sarah from _Labryinth_. He stood in the doorway a few beats too long before CHris gave him an awkward smile and waved his hand in front of his face. 

“Ummm, earth to Darren? You gonna let us in?” Before Darren could speak, Lea burst out laughing and nudged Chris in the ribs. 

“He’s too busy checking you out, just push him out of the way, he’ll move.” With that, Lea did just as she suggested and pushed Darren out of the way. He felt his face flush red and stepped back inside, giving Chris room to enter. 

“You look amazing, holy shit, dude. I’m blown the fuck away!” Chris gave a nervous smile and looked down at the floor shyly. 

“It was all Lea’s idea, she just dragged me along to store after store to get all of the right sizes for the costume.” 

 

“Yeah, well…” He trailed off, giving Chris another once over. “She did a really fucking good job.” He realized what his words implied and he mentally kicked himself, seriously, Criss, hitting on your coworker slash friend at a party? He gestured to the kitchen. “You want a drink?” 

\--

One AM was awesome. Darren was drunk and hanging out in the backyard with a bunch of his friends, enjoying the cooler weather and the company. Chris has spent a lot of time hanging out with Lea and Darren flitted around the room, joining in conversations with person after person. When Chris made his way to the backyard around midnight, Darren followed, intent on having some time with his friend. A few of them lounged on the patio furniture and somehow, a guitar was procured and handed to Darren, who, of course, never turned down a chance to sing to an audience, even if people were too drunk to appreciate it the right way. He started strumming a few chords before the perfect song came to mind. 

_Love is in the air, everywhere I look around_  
Love is in the air, every sight and every sound  
And I don't know if I'm being foolish  
Don't know if I'm being wise  
But it's something that I must believe in  
And it's there when I look in your eyes 

Darren looked out among his friends, searching for someone until finally, he caught Chris’ eye. He was a little shocked to see tears filling them, and he wanted to stop playing, but Chris simply smiled and shook his head, gesturing for him to continue. 

_Love is in the air, in the whisper of the tree_  
Love is in the air, in the thunder of the sea  
And I don't know if I'm just dreaming  
Don't know if I feel safe  
But it's something that I must believe in  
And it's there when you call out my name 

Chord threw a pillow at Darren, hitting him smack in the face, completely interrupting his singing. “This is a halloween party dude, not a Valentine’s Day party, stop with the sick love songs!” Darren wanted to protest, he had a reason for singing the song, he knew it… But he didn’t know it. So instead, he just shrugged and started plucking out the chords to _“Under the Sea”_ because fuck Chord, he could deal with Disney tunes for the rest of the night for being suck a dick. 

The night wound down pretty quickly after that, no one wanted Darren to get into trouble for violating any kind of noise laws, so they said their goodbyes and expressed that it was the best party they’d been to in a long time. A few of the extras even thanked him a few times for inviting them along, and he simply gave them a hug and thanked them for even coming in the first place. 

Chris and Lea were the last to leave. Chris was a little buzzed, though not drunk, while Darren was still feeling plenty from all of the alcohol he had consumed. 

“I’ll meet you in the car, Chris. Darren, great party.” She gave him a quick hug before heading out the door. 

“Thanks for coming.” Darren wrapped his arms around Chris and gave him a huge hug, burying his face in his shoulder. 

“You didn’t really give me a choice, you said I had to come.” 

“You know I wouldn’t have been mad if you didn’t show up.” He pulled back and looked up at Chris, giving him a small smile. “I’d have been sad for you not to show up, sure, but you’re still my friend.” Chris but his lower lip and seemed to think too hard about what he wanted to say next. 

“I’m glad I came. This was a lot of fun, and based on your reaction, I’d say that my costume hit it out of the park?” Darren threw his head back and laughed. 

“Yes, most definitely. Your costume would have won the costume contest, if like, there had been one.” 

“Well, I’m gonna have to say I’m a little more partial to the Peter Pan outfit you’ve got going on here.” He reached out and ran a hand down the green bodysuit Darren wore, sending a shiver down his spine for unknown reasons. “You pull green spandex off really well.” Darren couldn’t help but shiver again, and the grin on Chris’ face made him aware that he’d noticed. 

“Well, thanks, though you make a beautiful Goblin King.” He said with a hushed voice, biting his lip as his eyes flicked from Chris’ eyes down to his lips and back. They stood in silence, looking into each others eyes and then Darren started leaning forward when a car horn came blaring from outside. They jumped apart and he ran a hand over the back of his neck, feeling the heat rise to his face. 

“Uh, well, I guess Lea is done waiting, so I should, uh, go.” And before Darren could say another word, Chris was out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Ideas? Do you think you know what's going to happen next? Send me a comment, I'd love to hear from you, and thank you so much for reading!


	5. Whenever You're Away From Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - Whenever You're Away From Me - Olivia Newton-John  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"No other face would take you off my mind, You're so refined, You're much too kind, I have to warn you I'm never gonna set you free"_

** December 2011 **

The 2011 holiday season flew by for Darren. He was working non-stop and had also found out he was cast to play J. Pierrepont Finch in _”How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”_ on Broadway. On _freaking_ Broadway! He really thought that Ricky was pulling his leg when he got the call that he has gotten the part, but then he was emailed over a copy of the rehearsal schedule and sent a script by overnight FedEx and everything became so real. The first people he told, obviously, were his parents and Chuck because, well, duh, they were his biggest cheerleaders and he would never head the end of it if he didn’t tell them right away. 

The fourth person he told was Chris. He didn’t even have to be on set, but he knew Chris was filming, so he made his way to Fox Studios and bounded onto the set, hardly able to keep his excitement to himself. Lea and Naya gave him funny looks, they also knew he didn’t need to be there that day, but he just waved them off. No way was he going to tell them before he told Chris. 

When the scene was finally finished filming, Chris made a beeline for Darren, giving him a questioning look. “What are you doing here, you workaholic? You don’t have scenes today.” 

“I’M GONNA BE ON BROADWAY!” It vaguely registered to him that his voice was 12 times too loud for the environment he was in, but he didn’t care – He needed to get the news out before he exploded. Chris stared at him for a solid 15 seconds, trying to process the information before a huge grin broke out on his face and he threw his arms around Darren. 

“Oh my god, that’s amazing, I knew you’d get it!” Darren squeezed him tight, enjoying the feeling of being enveloped in happiness. 

“How did you know when I didn’t even know?! I just thought I was doing it for fun, I never dreamed it would actually happen!”

“You’ve gotta have a little more faith in yourself, Dare, that’s how I knew you’d do it.” Chris pulled back from their embrace and looked into his eyes, pride beaming out of his gaze. “I am so happy for you, you deserve this.” Darren’s face turned bright red, he could feel the heat as it made its way from his neck to his forehead, and he looked down at the floor bashfully. 

“Yeah, well, you know that I owe a lot of this to you. I never would have tried out for the part if you hadn’t convinced me to do it.” Chris rolled his eyes.   
“I didn’t do the audition for you, dumdum. You did it all on your own.” Darren mocked his eye roll and laughed. 

“Drinks after work? My treat, we’re celebrating!” 

“Only if we can go to that new club in Hollywood?” Darren was a little shocked, Chris normally refused to go outside of his comfort zone, and clubs in Hollywood were way outside of it. 

“Who are you and what have you done with Chris Colfer?” He reached up and put his hand on Chris’ forehead. “You don’t have a fever… Were you abducted by aliens?!” Chris laughed and pushed his hand off of his face. 

“Oh shut up, I just heard from a friend that it’s a really great place.”

“A friend? Let me guess, Lea’s been and told you it’s the bees knees?” Chris blushed and tried to look away from Darren, but he followed his gaze.   
“Uh, no, not exactly.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck nervously, which instantly set Darren on edge. Chris was hard to fluster, and whatever it was he had to say, Darren was almost 100% sure he didn’t want to hear it. “Andy, one of the tech guys? He told me about it, he said it’s a cool gay club. He mentioned he might be there tonight too, so…” Chris trailed off. 

Darren felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. The tug in his stomach he had been feeling for over a year, which he had finally admitted to himself were butterflies, turned into a sharp pain and he almost doubled over and threw up on the spot. He didn’t even know Andy was gay, first of all, and second of all… Did that mean that Chris was interested in him? 

“Oh, well, ah, that’s cool!” He tried to force some kind of enthusiasm into his voice, but it was hard and he was pretty sure Chris could tell just how not okay with the situation he was. 

“We don’t have to go!” Chris rushed to try to fix the situation – It was just like him, to try to do what everyone else wanted. “We can go to Roca’s or even just go back to my place, or yours! And just have some wine and celebrate in private?” Darren shook his head. He knew he was reacting poorly, and it wasn’t fair to Chris, not in the least bit. He had no right to feel the way he felt, even though he really couldn’t even understand _how_ he was feeling.  
“No, it’s cool, let’s go to the club, it’ll be fun! I need to see you shake your butt to some techno!” He forced a smile onto his face and he could tell Chris knew it was fake, but he simply smiled. 

“I’ll meet you at your place at nine?” 

“Yeah, that’s perfect. We can take a taxi down there.”

“Darren, you live a mile away.” He shrugged.

“So what? I’m not walking a mile home while probably drunk, why would I walk a mile there while sober?” Chris rolled his eyes yet again.   
“I’ll see you later, dork.” Darren gave him a quick hug before turning around and leaving the studio, trying to ignore the ache in his heart. 

\--

The club was way more packed than Darren had expected for 10pm. The Unicorn Club, as it was called, was still brand new, so he thought that it would take a little bit of time for it to gain popularity, but he was definitely wrong. Luckily, Chris and he were able to use their slight fame to go up to the bouncer and be let right in and led to the VIP area where drinks were already waiting for them. 

“Well this is the life!” Darren plopped down on the couch and grabbed a beer, taking a sip before leaning back into the cushion. Chris sat down next to him and grabbed a flute of what was probably champagne and took a small sip. 

“Is this seat taken?” Darren looked up to see who the voice belonged to and saw Andy, the tech who’d told Chris about the club. He’d gestured to the spot on the couch between Darren and Chris and Darren desperately wanted to tell him that yes, the spot was taken, and he could just fuck off, but the small smile on Chris’ face made him keep his mouth shut. 

“No, go right ahead.” Chris scooted over a little, away from Darren, to make more room and Andy sat down like he owned the place. Darren rolled his eyes and took a few more drinks from his beer, suddenly needing to not be sober in order to get through the night. 

He felt like a third wheel, honestly. Chris and Andy talked on and on and on about anything and nothing, Darren honestly stopped paying attention at one point because it’s not like he was being included in the conversation to begin with. He wanted to jump in and make Chris remember that he was there, but instead, he just kept drinking more beer and eventually switched to jack and coke’s in order to really get the buzz on. 

They’d been there for over two hours when Darren got up, the music pumping, ready to dance. Well, mostly he was ready to get the fuck away from Chris and Andy, but he used dancing as an excuse because hello, they were at a dance club anyway, it was like a built in excuse. 

“I’m gonna go dance!” He shouted over the music and Chris barely looked up at him, he just waved him on with a quick smile and hand gesture. Darren felt like throwing himself in front of a bus because really, the pain of that would hurt less than the pain of being dismissed by Chris so quickly, but he just turned around and made his way to the dance floor. He quickly found a group to dance with and within minutes, he had a guy grinding on his front and another guy grinding on his back. He was used to dancing with other guys, so it didn’t phase him at all, and in all honesty, he was drunk and pissed and the feeling of being wanted by two guys was nice. It was actually a huge turn on and he wanted to do something more about it, but all of a sudden, he felt a hand on his arm and he was being yanked through the crowd and out the front door. 

The fresh air hit him like the bus he’d wanted to be hit by earlier and he shivered in spite of himself. Chris was standing in front of him, his chest heaving, looking like he wanted to punch someone. 

“What was that?!” Chris threw his hands up in the air and his voice, though hushed, clearly told Darren he was pissed.   
“What was what?” Confusion set into his brain, he really didn’t understand why Chris was so upset, he’d been talking to Andy and having a grand ole time, why wasn’t he allowed to do the same thing?

“You were out there, dancing like some kind of… Some kind of porn star! There were people taking pictures and videos, Darren, they’re going to be posted online like 20 minutes ago!” Darren shrugged, people knew he was pretty open about who he was, why did it matter what the internet showed?

“So what, Chris? I was out there having fun! You were having fun with Andy, I was having fun dancing. What’s the big deal?” Chris threw up his hands and started walking down the sidewalk, his strides a lot longer than Darren was able to keep up with easily. He took off after him, having to run to keep pace. “What the hell is your problem?!” Chris stopped and whirled around, glaring at Darren. 

“You went to the club with me, Darren, and then you ditched me, that’s what!” Darren’s jaw dropped and he shook his head violently.  
“Oh no, no fucking way Colfer, I sat with you and Andy for two fucking hours while you talked about what the fuck ever you talked about, you didn’t seem to care when I was there, why did it matter once I left? It’s not like I left the club!” 

“BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE WITH ME!” Chris’ voice cracked on the last word and Darren felt his heart drop to his stomach, the last thing he wanted was for Chris to cry. 

“I thought it would be fine, Chris, I swear.” He took a step forward and when Chris didn’t move, he placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. “I just didn’t feel like being the odd one out anymore, I felt awkward, so I went to go find somewhere that I wouldn’t feel like that.” Chris squeezed his eyes shut and took a couple of deep breaths, but didn’t speak. “I would have much rather been with you, ya know.”   
“I didn’t mean to blow you off for Andy, I’m sorry.” Chris opened his eyes again and looked into Darren’s, and he almost stopped breathing. There was such a look of intensity in his eyes and Darren almost wanted to say that he knew what the look said…  
But he was too scared. 

“No one on the dance floor was like you, Chris. No one could ever replace you.” Chris nodded and it looked like he was going to say something, but he just shook his head and laced his fingers with Darren’s. 

“Can we get some pizza and go back to your place? I’ve got the drunk munchies.” Darren smiled and squeezed his hand as they took off down the sidewalk. 

“Of course. There’s no place I’d rather be.”


	6. This is the Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much to everyone who has commented, given kudos, and read this! It means the world to me!
> 
> Song Prompt - This is the Time - Billy Joel  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"This is the time to remember, Cause it will not last forever, These are the days, To hold on to"_

Did you know that before you came into my life  
It was some kind of miracle that I survived

** February 2012 **

Darren felt like he hadn’t slept in literal years. His three week stint on Broadway, while amazing and life changing and a dream come true, was absolutely the most exhausting thing he’d ever done, and he once stayed up for 4 days straight to win a bet against his friends in college. Performing two shows a day and three on Sunday was hell on his body and even worse on his voice. He hated to think of anything negative about the experience because, well, it was something he knew others would _kill_ for, but when he finally made it back to LA, he was so happy to be home he almost cried. 

His bed was the most comfortable thing in the world, and his shower was divine, but his first night back, any time he closed his eyes, he couldn’t make his brain turn off. All he could think about was Chris and how he was doing. They’d spoken at least a couple of times a week in the three weeks he was gone, and texted each other almost every day, but it was nothing like hanging out and getting dinner or watching TV like they were used to doing together. Darren found that he missed Chris so much at times that he literally ached from it, but he never said anything because he didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Darren was just an intense person who had intense friendships with intense feelings. That was all. 

He lay in bed for over an hour, trying in vain to make himself fall asleep before he gave up and sat up. It was midnight, but Chris was as much of a night owl as he was, so he grabbed his phone and sent a text. _You awake?_ Instead of a text reply, his phone began to buzz in his hand as he received an incoming call. 

“You absolute crazy person, why are you awake? I thought you said you were going to sleep for a month!” Darren couldn’t help but laugh at Chris’ greeting and leaned back against his pillows. 

“I’ve been trying for over an hour, but my brain won’t turn off. It’s like everything in the universe is working against me getting a good night’s rest.” 

“You are such an over exaggerator.” 

“Uh, yeah, have you met me?” Chris laughed. 

“Touche!” They sat in silence for a minute before Darren spoke again. 

“Will you come over?” Chris groaned. 

“It’s after midnight, you asshole, seriously?” Darren opened his mouth, intent on apologizing and telling him he didn’t need to when Chris kept going. “Ugh, fine, I’ll be there in 20 minutes. If you’re asleep by the time I get there, I’m kicking your butt.” 

\--

Darren wasn’t asleep when Chris got there, but he was much more relaxed than he’d felt previous to their conversation. Chris always had that effect on him, if he was stressed or anxious or upset, he could talk Darren down from any kind of ledge. He heard the front door open and close followed by the quick click of the lock, letting Darren know Chris had let himself in with the key Darren had given him months and months ago. He listened to the footsteps make their way to his room and smiled when his best friend appeared in the doorway. 

“Hey stranger.” Chris smiled and walked over to the bed. He’d worn what looked like he’d been wearing to bed, sweatpants and a thin t-shirt, and had on a pair of old sneakers with them. 

“I missed you.” Darren said softly, patting on the empty spot next to him on the bed. Chris toed off his shoes and walked around to the other side of the bed, slipping under the covers and laying down next to him. 

“I missed you, too. Being on set hasn’t been nearly as entertaining without your stupid antics.” 

“Um excuse me, I resent that!” Darren pressed his hand to his chest and made a look of mock outrage. “I will have you know that I only do those things because they make you laugh and you like them!” Chris rolled his eyes, but didn’t deny it. 

“So tell me all about Broadway! Was it everything you ever dreamed of? Are you invited back? Are you scarred for life?”

They lay next to each other talking for over an hour, Darren spilling about his once in a lifetime experience. Chris laughed at all the right moments and asked all of the right questions, and Darren felt like his heart was full, like he was finally home where he belonged. A yawn interrupted him as he was talking about a particularly funny story from one of his last shows and Chris laughed. 

“I think it’s time for bed. You look like a zombie.” 

“Fucking rude ass, Colfer. I invite you into my home and into my bed and this is how you repay me.” He tried to put up a fight against the sleep, but he as soon as he lay his head on his pillow and pulled up the covers, he was drifting off, feeling at peace for the first time in ages. 

\--

Valentine’s Day as a single person was genuinely awful. Darren tried to make it out like he didn’t care and that he was too macho or mature to care about something so trivial, but he wanted to be in love, he wanted to be in a relationship, to dote on someone and buy them presents and shower them with affection. He wanted all of those things, and instead, he sat on set, eating craft services, alone, pouting because he was single on Valentine’s Day. 

“You look like someone killed your dog, dude.” Chord slid into the seat next to him, causing him to jump a little bit. 

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I just really fucking hate this holiday.” Chord laughed. 

“How can you hate Valentine’s Day? You have the best boyfriend ever, don’t you have plans to go out tonight or something?” Darren whipped his head up to look at him, confusion painted all over his face. 

“What are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend, I’m single. Why else would I hate Valentine’s Day?” Chord looked like a deer caught in the headlights and he hopped up from his seat. 

“Oh shit, uh, never mind dude, my bad, I guess I was just, uh, I gotta go!” And with that, he turned around and practically ran off, leaving Darren feeling more confused than he’d ever felt. Why would Chord think he had a boyfriend? Did Chris say something? There wasn’t even a possibility of someone in his life, so where would anyone draw that kind of conclusion from. 

“Why is Chord running away like his house is on fire?” Chris sat down in the seat that had just been vacated and grabbed a french fry off of Darren’s plate, popping it into his mouth. 

“I honestly have no clue. He asked me how I can hate Valentine’s Day when I have a boyfriend and then I told him I’m single and he just… Ran.” Chris choked on the fry in his mouth and had to take a minute to cough it out and compose himself. 

“I’m sorry, what? Chord said he thought you have a boyfriend?” 

“Yes! It was so bizarre, like he didn’t even ask me a question, he just said it like it was a fact or something and I have no clue why!” Chris’ face was bright red, but Darren wasn’t sure if it was because of their conversation or his inability to swallow food properly. 

“He must be on drugs, that’s likely the only explanation.” Darren laughed and ate a fry of his own. 

“Yeah, that must be it.” He shook his head again, trying to understand where he could have come up with such an idea. 

“So, uhhh, we still on for Chinese take-out and horror movies tonight?” Chris looked at him expectantly and he smiled, nodding enthusiastically. 

“Of course! Our plans are the only thing getting me through this terrible fucking day. Horror movies are 100000 times better than stupid love movies and songs and schmoop and grossness.” 

“You’re so eloquent when you’re upset.” Chris deadpanned. 

“Oh shut up.” Darren threw a fry at him and rolled his eyes. “I’ve gotta go, my next scene is starting in a minute. Please make sure you get extra, _extra_ eggrolls this time? I need to eat my weight in fried food.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t worry, I know what to get. I’ll see you tonight.” Darren gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he got up and headed for the next scene. 

\--

“Okay so how is it that all of the _Nightmare on Elm Street_ movies are better than _Freddy vs Jason_?” Chris asked as he leaned from the couch to the coffee table to put more lo mein on his plate. “You’d think a movie with double the horror villians in it would be better than ones with just one!” 

“Nah, they tried too hard for the double feature. It was less about the scary plot and more about the monsters facing off against each other. Super lame, zero out of 10 from me.” Darren stuffed another eggroll into his face and sighed happily. “This right here, this is my happy place.” 

“Sitting on your couch, eating greasy Chinese food, and watching bad movies?” Chris raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a heavily judgmental look. 

“Exactly that. If I never had to move from this spot in my life, I would be perfectly fine with it.” 

“You know, for someone who spends his entire life running around working and always doing something, you’re one of the laziest people I know.” Darren gave as much of a bow as he could from a sitting position and smiled brightly.

“Why thank you! I’m so glad to have you notice!” Chris ignored him in favor of getting up and heading to Darren’s DVD bookcase. 

“Hmmm, how about we watch Halloween next? It’s gotta be the best one out of all of them.”

“I’m so in. Classic Jamie Lee Curtis is my jam!” 

“Have I told you lately how weird you are?” Darren nodded his head. 

“I believe you told me just 20 minutes ago, but it’s fine, you can keep saying it. You’re not wrong, just jealous!” Chris put the movie in and pressed play before going back to the couch. Darren had taken the time while Chris was up to spread out, taking over the whole thing, which was quite a feat for someone so small. 

“Darren, move! You’re taking up all the space!” He shook his head. 

“Nope. You can find your own spot, I’m comfortable now.” Chris just stared at him and Darren was about to move when he simply leaned down and lay on top of Darren. Chris made himself comfortable with as little wiggling as possible and Darren felt the butterflies in his stomach stir up more than they had in a few weeks. 

“Fine, I’m comfortable now.” He had no clue what to say as Chris lay his head on his chest, so instead of talking, he just wrapped his arms around his waist and watched the movie. If he barely paid any attention to what was happening on the screen, it was definitely not Chris’ fault at all.


	7. Sweetener

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for commenting, I love reading what you think of the boys in this 'verse. I love writing this, and am so glad I'm participating in this challenge!
> 
> Song Prompt - Sweetener - Ariana Grande
> 
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"When life deals us cards, Make everything taste like it is salt, Then you come through like the sweetener you are, To bring the bitter taste to a halt"_

** May 2012 **

Darren wasn’t used to having a bad day. He was a happy person by nature and liked to make other people smile, so having a bad just wasn’t in his plans. Not to mention, being in a bad mood was so freaking exhausting, and he barely took time off as it was, so when a bad mood hit him, it hit him like a freight train. 

He didn’t even know what caused it, honestly, he wanted to blame it on waking up late sometime last week, or maybe blame it on the barista at his local coffee shop getting his order wrong for the fifth day in a row, but in the back of his mind, he knew that he was just having some bad brain days and couldn’t pull himself out of it. He tried to be self-aware enough of his attitude that he didn’t take it out on other people, but the way his co-workers had started treating him by day three of his bad mood, he knew he hadn’t really succeeded. Lea, usually the first to say hi or stop and talk, averted her gaze whenever she saw him, and as much as he felt hurt by it, he understood why. 

And it also just served to make his mood even worse because, well, he didn’t like being the person that people avoided because they were an asshole! He was a nice guy, dammit… He just didn’t feel like it. 

Eight days was a long time to go around acting like the world had personally affronted him, but Darren didn’t feel like he was going to be stopping any time soon. He slammed the door to his trailer as he left, stomped his way to his car, yanked the driver’s seat open, and slammed it shut once he sat down. None of the actions helped to make him feel better in the least little bit, and really what he wanted to do was drive his car off a cliff because _maybe_ that would help. A knock on the passenger side window caused him to jump as he was pulled from his thoughts. He looked over and couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face when he saw Chris. Chris was his safe spot, someone who always made him feel better, but even that was a short lived feeling. 

He hit the button to unlock the door and Chris slipped inside, clicking the belt buckle around himself. 

“Ummm, did we have plans?” Chris raised an eyebrow at him and gave him the bitchiest look he could muster. 

“”Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had plans other than going home and sulking and being a bitch all night.” Darren opened his mouth to argue, but Chris kept talking, not giving him a chance. “You’ve been in a sour mood for a while now, and I have to tell you, Dare, I’m worried about you…” He trailed off, looking out the windshield. “And everyone else is kind of afraid of you right now, too, so like, you really need to work on your attitude.” 

“You realize that you’re in my car, asking me to take you to my place, telling me what an asshole I am, right?” Darren gripped the steering wheel as tight as he could so as not to punch the window like he wanted to. 

“Oh, stop acting tough, Criss, and just drive. This will go so much easier if you just do what I say.” Darren was going to object, but instead he just shook his head and took off out of the studio parking lot, aching to be home. At least when he got there, he could try to lock Chris out. 

\--

Chris, as it turned out, couldn’t be locked out because he had a key. Darren did try, he ran ahead and locked the front door behind him, smiling to himself as he walked to the kitchen to get a cookie he had saved for that night. He practically inhaled it, only slightly tasting the weed in it, when he heard the door open and close from the front hallway. He cursed under his breath, of course he had the key, shit! 

“You know, you should be nicer to me, I’m the one on your side here, Darren.” Chris appears in the kitchen doorway and looked at him with a questioning look on his face. “What are you eating?” 

“Weed cookie.” He shrugged and swallowed the last bit in his mouth. 

“What, I want some!” Darren shook his head and lifted his hands up to show they were empty. 

“Only had one left and I’ve been saving, it’s all gone.” 

“Wow, you have a guest and you don’t even save them any of your pot, you’re so rude.” Darren snorted and shook his head. 

“You act like you’re wanted here, Chris, just go home. You already know I’m not in the mood, so can you please just leave?” The look on Chris’ face looked almost completely stricken, and Darren wanted to take the words back, but Chris turned around and walked off. He wanted to follow him, to apologize for taking out his mood on him, but then he heard the water in his bathroom start and he stopped walking, confused. What the hell was Chris doing, taking a shower?

“Dare, can you come here please?” Darren walked into his room and eyes the pants and shirt that were discarded on his bed. What the actual fuck? He walked into the bathroom and was shocked to see Chris sitting in the tub as it filled with water and bubbles, naked. 

“Chris, what are you doing?!” He jumped back and shielded his eyes, not because he didn’t want to see Chris, but because there was no way Chris had meant for him to see in the first place, right?

“Oh god, Darren, but your hand down, you freaking baboon, I’m not naked, I have my boxers on still.” He lowered his hand and stepped back into the bathroom carefully, unable to meet Chris’ eyes. “Look, you need to do something about this bad mood of yours, and I’m here to help.” 

“What does you taking a bath in my bathroom have to do with my mood?” Chris rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. 

“Pretend like we’re five again and playing in the tub. Just get down to your boxers.” Darren’s face must have betrayed every single shy emotion that ran through his mind and Chris’ face softened. “Just trust me, Dare.” He wanted to protest, he felt way too vulnerable even thinking about the idea, let alone doing it, but instead he just nodded and shrugged out of his hoodie before slowly taking off the rest of his clothes. When he reached his boxers, he stood there, feeling more awkward than he’d felt in years, before finally moving forward and climbing into the tub.

“Okay, so I don’t feel any better.” Chris splashed him as he spoke. 

“Stop that. You’re being so unlike yourself, what’s going on?” Darren shrugged and wrapped his arms around him chest, turning from Chris so that his back was to him. He’d never used the big Jacuzzi tub that came with his house before, but he was pretty grateful for it right at that point.  
“Dare, it’s just me.” Chris reached forward and put a hand on Darren’s shoulder and all at once, he felt himself melt into the touch as tears streamed down his face. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong, I’m just so tired all the time and I have no reason to be so mad, but all I want to do is punch someone, fuck, Lea said good morning the other day and I almost threw my coffee in her face because her voice annoyed me!” Chris put his other hand on Darren’s other shoulder and pulled him backward until he was laying with his back against Chris’ chest. He knew he should feel weird about the position, he’d been told time and time again how weird his and Chris’ relationship was, but more than anything, he just felt more at peace than he’d felt in forever, laying there in the water, in Chris’ arms. He cried for longer than he’d cried in ages, and he only stopped because he felt like he’d run out of tears to cry. When he finally got his breathing back under control, he sat up and looked behind him at the other man. 

“I’m sorry.” His voice was rough and he sounded like he’d been crying for hours, which wasn’t too far off from the truth. 

“Don’t apologize, sometimes you just need to be vulnerable and let someone else in, ya know?” Chris reached around him and grabbed a washcloth, adding soap to it before starting to wash Darren’s back. He felt kind of silly, like he was a little kid again, but truth be told, it felt good having someone take care of him. He just closed his eyes and let Chris wash him, not even blushing as he got close to his boxers. He stopped and Darren opened his eyes, looking at him, and nodded a yes to the question in his eyes. He lifted his hips and let his boxers be taken off and flung over the side, landing on the floor with a wet “thawack”. 

There was nothing sexual about their interaction, but it was the most intimate thing Darren had ever been part of. He felt like he should be embarrassed or cringing away from Chris’ touch, but the only thing he could feel was calm and… Loved? 

When Chris was done, he let himself be led out of the tub and stood still as Chris dried him off, lifting his arm or foot as directed when asked. His favorite rode was wrapped around him once he was dry and he was directed to his bed, where Chris pulled the sheets down. He lay down in the bed, robe and all, and let himself be tucked in like a small child, smiling as Chris pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“Are you okay?” Chris’ voice was low and a note of worry still lingered. He hated that he was the person to put that sound there. 

“I feel better than I’ve felt in weeks.” He reached out and took one of his hands in his own, squeezing it as tight as he could muster to try to convey how grateful he was. 

“I’m really glad.” Chris smiled down at him for a second before glancing toward the door. “I should probably go.” 

“No!” Darren shocked even himself with his quick admission and he felt his face turn red as Chris jumped a little and looked at him. “I mean, would you mind staying with me?” 

“And here you were just a few hours ago trying to lock me out.” Darren went to apologize again, but Chris held his hand up, silencing his attempt. “It’s fine, Dare, I was just kidding. Of course I’ll stay with you.” Darren’s eyes didn’t leave his body as he walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed in. At some point, he’d gotten rid of his wet boxers and replaced them with a pair of Darren’s sleep pants, which looked slightly ridiculous considering how short they were on him. He pulled the sheets up to his chest and turned so he was facing Darren. 

“I love you, Chris. Thank you for being my friend.” His eyes were already having a hard time staying open and his voice was low and slurred with sleep, but he wanted to make sure Chris heard him. 

“Anytime, Dare. I love you, too. Now go to sleep.” The last thing Darren registered before nodding off completely was Chris curling up next to him, sighing happily.


	8. True Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not supposed to happen the way it did and then it happened and then... Well, I hope y'all love it!
> 
> Song Prompt - True Love - Elton John  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"Suntanned, windblown, Honeymooners at last alone, Feeling far above par, Oh, how lucky we are"_

** August 2012 **

Something was going with Chris, and Darren had no clue what it was. Ever since filming had begun for season four of _Glee_ , he’d been acting all kinds of skittish and just plain weird. Darren would try to joke with him the same ways he was used to, but Chris just gave a short laugh and practically ran away as soon as he could. Darren tried asking around to their friends to see if anyone knew what was wrong with Chris, but everyone just shook their head and told him no. Lea seemed to know more than she was letting on, she avoided meeting Darren’s eyes and just shrugged and practically sprinted away from him, but he just left her alone. 

Three weeks into shooting and Chris and Darren hadn’t hung out even one time. He was beginning to go crazy, to be honest, because he really missed his best friend. Texts sent asking to hang out either went unanswered or were turned down with a simple _”No time”_ , and Darren was really worrying that he’d done something to upset Chris. They had a scene together on a Friday night and Darren was determined to make sure that he would talk to Chris and get to the bottom of what was going on with him. Shooting ended around midnight and all he wanted to do was go home, crawl into bed, and pass out for the whole weekend, but when he saw Chris make his way out to his car, he took off after him, opening the passenger side door and climbing in before Chris knew what he was going. 

“Darren, come on, it’s late, get out and go home.” Exhaustion painted Chris’ face and he almost felt bad for him, but then he remembered why he was bugging him so late and set his face to be as determined as possible.

“What did I do wrong?” He thought he’d come up with something more eloquent to say, but then the words came out and he just went with it. Chris sighed and slumped his shoulder forward. 

“You didn’t do anything. Come on, it’s late, I’m tired, can we please do this another time?” Darren shook his head. 

“No way, you’ve been avoiding me for weeks, Chris, I’m not doing this anymore.” He reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it tight. “I fucking miss you, dude, I miss my best friend.”   
“Well, that’s kind of the problem, now isn’t it?” Chris’ head snapped up and his eyes were filled with hurt and something akin to rage. “You miss your best friend on your own timetable, it doesn’t matter what he wants, huh?” Darren pulled his hand back as if he’d been burnt and looked at Chris in shock. 

“Chris, what –“

“See, that’s the problem! You don’t even realize what’s wrong!” He threw his hands up and Darren saw tears fill his eyes. “Do you realize that the last handful of times we’ve hung out, you’ve been less than sober? Either you’re drunk or you’re high, and you’re so touchy feely and so sweet and loving, and then you’re sober again and you’re just… You!” 

“Chris, I don’t know what you mean.” 

“OF COURSE YOU DON’T!” Chris’ voice came out louder than Darren was sure he’d ever heard it before and he flinched back, pulling his arms against his chest to protect himself from the invisible blow up. “You don’t see how how you act affects me, Darren, and that’s a problem for me, okay? Because I’m not the type of person who likes being used, or being led on, and I know I’m probably so off base it’s not even funny, but fuck, Darren, you have got to see what you do to me!” Darren just stared at his friend, jaw dropped, not knowing what to say. His thoughts were reeling and he wanted to make him feel better, but every time he opened his mouth, nothing came out. 

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought.” Chris muttered bitterly, wiping at his eyes. “Can you please just get out of my car? I want to go home.” Darren didn’t say a word, just turned and opened the door, climbing out stiffly, feeling numb. Chris took off out of the parking spot before the door was even shut and Darren felt like crying. 

\--

Three hours later put Darren on Chris’ doorstep. He hesitated for a few minutes about ringing the doorbell, raising his hand to press the button, then dropping it again, until finally he just went for it. He had to wait a few minutes before he heard the lock slide open and the door crack, Chris’ face peering through. 

“It’s four in the morning, Darren, what are you doing?” His voice was gravely and low from sleep and Darren almost felt bad for waking him up, but he knew that what he wanted to say couldn’t wait.   
“Can I come in?” Chris gave him a disapproving look before finally opening the door the rest of the way and stepping aside. They walked to the living room and Chris sat down on the couch, curling his legs up underneath of him. Darren was too wired to sit, so he just stayed on his feet and started pacing. 

“You asked me why I’m always not sober around you.” He stated, glancing over at Chris to make sure he was listening. “I just, Chris, you don’t even know what you do to me. Every word you say, every sound that comes out of your mouth, every move you make, it makes me so fucking nervous.” 

“Can you please sit down?” Chris whispered his request just loud enough for Darren to hear. He stopped pacing and clasped his hands together, cracking his knuckles before nodding. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to Chris, close enough that there was barely any room, but far enough away so as not to crowd him. 

“You make me nervous, Chris.” He stated, looking into his eyes. “And being drunk or being high, it helps me be able to relax enough to just be myself around you.” 

“Why do I make you nervous?” Darren laughed a low laugh and shook his head. 

“Because you’re just… You!” He placed a hand on Chris’ knee and squeezed. “You’re so funny, and you don’t even know it half the time, and you’re gorgeous and, fuck, you’re my best friend and I don’t want to fuck this up!” He groaned and slumped back against the couch. A huge smile came over Chris face and he looked at him in confusion. “What’s so funny, why are you smiling?” 

“Do you realize just how stupid we are?” He started laughing, a huge belly laugh, one that Darren had only seen a handful of times in the time he knew Chris. “God, Lea was so right!” 

“Lea was right about what?!” Darren was even more confused than before, what the hell did she have do to with anything?! 

“She said you liked me, too, but I just thought she was being her usual stupid self, ya know, trying to play matchmaker and all.” Darren had to take a few seconds to process the words before it hit him. 

“Wait. You said too. You mean…” He trailed off, worried that if he spoke the words, they wouldn’t be true. Chris simply nodded his head and laughed again. 

“God, we’re the most oblivious people in the world.” Instead of agreeing, or even speaking again, Darren simply surged forward and pressed his lips to Chris’, pouring every ounce of emotion and feeling into it that he’d kept back for so long. He finally felt like he was doing the right thing.


	9. Happy With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - Happy With You - Paul McCartney  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"I sat round all day, I used to get stoned, I liked to get wasted, But these days I don‘t, 'Cause I'm happy with you, I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah"_

** November 2012 **

Thanksgiving was a pretty big deal with Darren’s family. They loved getting together and having a big feast and spending the whole day together, just enjoying each other’s company. Any excuse to gorge himself on food was a good excuse for Darren, and everyone who knew him knew that about him. The only thing that was different about Thanksgiving now? He was bringing his boyfriend home to meet his family. 

Truth be told, he was a nervous wreck. He didn’t think his parents would hate Chris, who could hate Chris afterall, and of course Chuck had already met him before, so that was all well and good. Hell, he wasn’t even nervous about the fact that he was bringing home a _boy_ instead of a girl, his parents had always made sure to let him know from a young age that they would accept him no matter what he did or didn’t do in his life. No, he wasn’t nervous because of any of that, he was just nervous because Chris was the most important non-family person in his life, and he was going to be meshing all of the best parts of his life together, and what if…

What if they didn’t mesh?

Chris and he had decided to drive up to San Francisco, though Chris put up a mild protest akin to his protest when they went to Napa. 

“It’s an even longer drive to your parents house than it is to Napa, I’m gonna die!” Darren laughed and shook his head. 

“You’ll be fine. It’ll be fun! We’ll put together the most epic playlist and sing to each other and stop for lunch and it’ll be a great time. Stop being such a party pooper.” Chris snorted and glared at him. 

“When I spend the whole time throwing up, I’m blaming you.” 

Darren had secretly looked into flights, he didn’t want Chris to be miserable after all, but there were none that they could take that would get them the night before Thanksgiving, and Darren wanted to wake up in his family’s house to begin meal prep - It was one of his favorite traditions. So the morning of the day before Thanksgiving, they left Darren’s house and took off on the six hour trek upstate, hoping to beat traffic if they left around 11. 

\--

Traffic was hit, multiple times. The six hour drive turned into an almost nine hour drive, and by the time they arrived at the Criss’ residence, both men were ready to pass out. Cerina wrapped her arms around both of them the second they stepped inside the door and Darren dropped his bag to do the same. He’d missed her more than he would express and it felt so good to just be _home_.

She led the pair of them upstairs to Darren’s old room and pushed the door open, ushering them inside. 

“You boys will stay in here, and if you need anything, you know just where to find me!” She gave Darren another hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling the widest smile he’d ever seen her give. “I missed you, I’m so glad to have you home.” 

“Is it really okay that we stay in the same room?” Chris questioned after Cerina left the room. 

“Oh yeah, it’s totally fine. If they weren’t okay with it, my mom wouldn’t have done it. We have a guest room she easily could have made up.”

“It just feels so… Weird. Almost disrespectful?” Darren turned and walked to Chris, placing both of his hands on his cheeks. 

“We aren’t being disrespectful. We’re in a relationship, a loving, healthy relationship, and my parents understand and respect that. They just want me, and you, to be happy.” He leaned in and smacked his lips against Chris’, grinning as he pulled back. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m going to pass out from exhaustion. You ready for bed?” 

\--

Darren woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee. Chris was still happily asleep next to him, so he just crept out of bed carefully and made his way to the kitchen. 

“Good morning _ina_.” He gave her a quick hug and kiss before grabbing a cup of coffee, taking a grateful sip as he sat down at the island bar.

“Morning sweetheart. You sleep well?” He nodded, content to drink more coffee than answer in words. “Good. We have a lot of work to do today, so you need all the energy you can muster!” 

“Hey, I’ve been looking forward to this day since last Thanksgiving, don’t you worry about me!” Cerina put together a plate of bacon, eggs, toast, and grits and placed it in front of him. 

“Eat quickly, your father will be up soon, and Chuck will be here any minute.” As if on queue, the front door opened and slammed shut, Chuck appearing in the kitchen not a few seconds later. 

“Hey you!” Darren got up from the barstool and gave Chuck a hug, he’d missed his brother more than he’d realized until he saw him in the flesh. 

“Hey! Where’s this boyfriend of yours?!” 

“Oh, I see how it is, you don’t even want to see your favorite brother, you just want to see Chris.”

“You’re my only brother, you dumbass, you get that title by default, which means it doesn’t mean anything!” Darren screwed up his face in a mockery of teasing and stuck his tongue out. 

“Pft, whatever. I still win.”

“Uh, so… Where is he?” Darren gestured up the stairs. 

“Our drive was hell last night, he was still sleeping and I knew he needed it, so I just let him stay up there.” 

“Dude, you’ve got it bad.” Chuck punched him in the arm and laughed. “You can’t even talk about him without looking like you’re sitting on cloud nine.” Darren shrugged, smiling as his cheeks turned pink. 

“Yeah, well… I don’t see what’s so wrong with that.” Chuck rolled his eyes and groaned. 

“The both of you are gonna be staring at each other with heart eyes all day, aren’t you?” 

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see!” 

\--

Darren let Chris sleep in as long as possible before finally waking him up. They got ready for the day, sneaking in a few kisses and maybe even a little light groping in between dressing and brushing their teeth. When they finally made their way downstairs, Cerina, Bill, and Chuck were all in the kitchen, working on one thing or another. After so many years of doing Thanksgiving together, they worked like a well oiled machine, Chris fitting in right along with everyone like he’d been there his entire life. Pies were made and the stuffing was put in the oven, and before long, the only thing they could do was wait for everything to finish cooking. 

Darren grabbed Chris’ hand and led him into the living room where he sat down on the couch and pulled him into his lap. 

“I’m so glad you’re here.” He whispered as he buried his face into his neck. “I love having you around my family, it feels so natural.” Chris wrapped his arms around Darren’s neck and lay his cheek against the top of his head. 

“I was really nervous about this, but I’m really glad I came. Seeing you around your mom, you and her are so close, it’s just really sweet to see how you interact.” 

“Yeah, we’ve always been really close. It means a lot to me that you’re here.” 

\--

Dinner went off without a hitch. Everything came out smelling amazing and tasting even better. Darren forced himself to eat enough food for four people, and by the end of the meal, he felt like he was going to throw up. 

“Oh my god, someone roll me into my bed, I need a nap.” He groaned and leaned back in his chair, placing his hands on his stomach. Chris, who was much more practical and stopped eating after only two helpings, laughed. 

“That’s what you get for being such a pig!” Darren stuck his tongue out at him. 

“It just all tastes so good and I want it all!” He stood up from his chair and stretched, groaning as his stomach protested the movement. 

“Why don’t you boys go upstairs and lay down? Your father and I will start cleaning things up.” Darren gave his mother a confused look, he never got out of clean up duty, no matter how hard he tried. She simply smiled at him and waved her hand at him. “You’re of no use to us if you’re that full. Enjoy the one time you get out of cleaning.” Darren didn’t need to be told twice, he simply grabbed Chris’ hand and yanked him up the stairs. 

They curled up around each other on his bed and Darren swore he had never been happier. “I know I keep saying this, but thanks for coming. I know your parents probably weren’t too happy with you missing it.” Chris shrugged. 

“Hannah misses me more than anyone, so I had to promise to take her to Disney Land for her birthday next year.” Darren chuckled and let his eyes slip shut. 

“She knows how to play you so well.” 

“Yeah, she really does.” They lay in silence and Darren was almost asleep when Chris spoke again. “Hey, Darren?” 

“Hmmm?” He mumbled. 

“I love you.” Darren smiled and snuggled deeper into Chris’ arms. 

“I love you, too.”


	10. Truly Madly Deeply

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden   
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need."_

** February 2013 **

Valentine’s Day, as previously stated by one Mr. Darren Criss, wasn’t the most important holiday for him to celebrate, but as a person in a new _ish_ relationship, celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together, he was kind of worried. They hadn’t really talked about what kind of expectation they had about gifts or public displays of affection or anything of the sort, and he really wasn’t sure what to do about any of it. He was only 25 years old, and he had spent exactly zero Valentine’s Days in a relationship, so he was super out of his element. Part of him wanted to buy the moon and engrave Chris’ name on it, just so everyone would know just how much he meant to him, but the other part wanted to keep things low key, keep their relationship to themselves. 

They’d never talked about coming out as a couple or anything like that, they didn’t consider themselves _that_ famous, but it was something that continued to come up no matter what. In interviews, Darren was consistently asked if he was seeing anyone and honestly, there were only so many ways he could get away with saying “Man, my private life is private!” before people started really calling him out on it. Hell, there was a group of fans on Tumblr who had built an entire conspiracy theory around him and his sexuality and were saying he was being oppressed by Fox because he needed to be straight, dammit! Reading things like that just made him laugh, no one ever gave any kind of indication that his sexuality was that much of a concern, and he was comfortable enough in his own skin that if he felt like he needed to come right out and state his sexuality, he would do it. 

The thing is, Chris was a very private person. Fiercely private, in fact and it was something Darren still had to get used to. He thought nothing of taking pictures together and posting them on Instagram or Facebook, though his own private Facebook he’d had since high school was locked down and pretty inactive due to his rise in popularity. Chris tended to shy away from pictures and instead asked him to keep their private moments private. He had no problem complying with it, but it really made things hard, like mother-flipping VALENTINE’S DAY! 

A public display of his love was basically out of the question. He still kind of wanted to do it simply because, well, he wanted to, dammit, but when the receiving party wouldn’t be excited about the present, it took literally all fun out of it. Which was just as well because the press would have an absolute field day if he were to serenade Chris on the Hollywood Walk of Fame or something as equally cheesy that he was bound to come up with. 

So instead, he planned a very quiet, very casual night in. Take out from their favorite Japanese restaurant, a bottle or two (alright, three or four) of their favorite wine, and spending all night together. He liked cooking, but he didn’t want to mess up such an important meal lest Chris deem his unworthy of his affection and leave him for a more valiant suitor. 

Good lord, he really needed to get out of his head and FOCUS! 

He’d been extremely mysterious and vague with Chris on details for their night, so much so that Chris looked like he was actually worried about what was going to happen, and if Darren was any other person, he probably would have taken major offense to being so doubted, but he wasn’t someone else - He Was Darren fucking Criss, and he was going to rock Chris Colfer’s goddamn world! 

The doorbell rang right at 7, Chris was always punctual, and Darren opened the door quickly, holding his hand out to his boyfriend and giving his hand a squeeze. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, boyfriend.” He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Chris smiled and stepped inside, toeing his shoes off at the entrance. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too, boyfriend.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “You know how stupid that sounds, right?” 

“No, shut up, don’t even say that!” He placed his index finger over Chris’ lips to silence him. “This night is full of wonder and magic and you’ll do nothing to ruin it!” 

“Uhhh, are you on drugs?” 

“What?!” Darren’s jaw dropped and he gave a look of mock outrage. “Moi, on drugs?! Why, I never…” He trailed off, walking into the living room, Chris following him. 

“You’re acting like you’re on drugs.” Chris laughed as he sat down on the couch. 

“I would never do drugs, Christopher, and I resent the implication that I would.” 

“Oh, you’ve been watching _Downton Abbey_ again, I can tell!” Darren pursed his lips together and gave Chris an unimpressed look. 

“I cannot confirm nor deny such accusations!” And with that, he turned around and walked out of the room. 

\--

A few minutes later, before Chris could start to worry about where he’d went, Darren walked back into the living room, his guitar slung over his neck, a slow melody playing. It took a few more seconds, but Chris’ face finally lit up as he realized what song was being played. 

_“I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy._  
I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need.  
I love you more with every breath, truly madly deeply do  
I will be strong, I will be faithful 'cause I'm counting on a new beginning.  
A reason for living. A deeper meaning” 

Darren finished out the song, pouring his heart and soul into the song, feeling more feeling and love into it than any other performance he’d ever given in his entire life. When the song was done, he opened his eyes and was a little shocked to see Chris staring at him with tears in his eyes, hands clasped in front of him. 

“You are so much more than I had ever hoped for.” He whispered as the tears started slipping down his cheeks. Darren put his guitar down and knelt down on the floor in front of Chris, taking both of his hands in his. 

“You’re everything I ever dreamed of.”


	11. Top of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - Top of the World - The Carpenters  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"There is only one wish on my mind, When this day is through I hope that I will find, That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me, All I need will be mine if you are here"_

** May 2013 **

A 23rd birthday wasn’t a very special birthday, per say, but it was still a day worth celebrating because hello, cake! It was also Darren’s first birthday with Chris as his SO and he wanted to nail it. Valentine’s Day had been somewhat of a smashing success and his birthday turned out to be pretty fantastic – Chris had flown them to Sandusky, OH to go to Cedar Point to ride ALL of the roller coasters! 

Well, as many as they could fit in in an eight hour timeframe. Oh, did he mention that Chris had booked the park so that they were the only ones there? Because he did that, and it was freaking AWESOME and probably the best way to celebrate turning 26 that Darren could have imagined. 

But it really left him somewhat in a bind because he had to do just as good, if not better, for Chris’ birthday, and he was slightly at a loss for what to do. He considered flying them to Paris for a weekend getaway, but then work duties made it next to impossible, not to mention it was really expensive to charter a private jet halfway across the world and while he was perfectly happy spending the money, he knew Chris would kill him – Capitol KILL him, for spending that much money on a three day trip. 

Darren’s idea for Chris’ birthday was going to work out – It just had to. He’d been working tirelessly with Chris’ parents and had managed to fly Hannah down to spend the weekend with them… At Disneyland. Yup, he was totally doing it, he was taking his man to the happiest place on Earth, and bringing his favorite person with them. (Note, he was perfectly happy to not name himself Chris’ favorite person, but only because it was Hannah. If anyone else tried to make that kind of statement, he would fight them. Truly. Ask Chord. There are scare to prove it.) 

Hannah and he walked up to the door of Chris’ condo and he looked over at her, a huge smile on his face. 

“Okay Hans, remember, Bubba doesn’t know anything about this, so he’s going to be super surprised.” Hannah rolled her eyes and placed her hands hips, giving him an exasperated scowl. 

“Uh thanks Dare, but I know that. I’ve been in on it this whole time and I haven’t told Bubba a single thing!” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and have her a squeeze, happy to have her there. They’d only met a handful of times in person, but they spoke on the phone every time she called Chris and he was around (which was a lot) and Skyped any time he was around when she Skyped with Chris (which, again, was a lot). They bonded over their mutual love of _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ , and also worked together to consistently make fun of Chris at every available chance. 

“You ready?” A smile took over Hanna’s face as she nodded and reached forward, pressing the button for the doorbell. It took a few seconds, but they finally heard footsteps coming to the door from inside the house and then the door opened and Darren and Hannah both flung out their arms and yelled “SURPRISE!” 

Chris stood in the doorway, his jaw dropped, for a few seconds before he could shake himself out of his stupor. “Oh my god!” He practically threw himself at his sister and wrapped his arms around her, and Darren felt so happy he really thought he was going to burst. “What are you doing here?!”

“Mom and dad put me on a plane this morning all by myself, and Darren picked me up from the airport so we could surprise you for your birthday!” Chris turned to Darren and gave him a huge hug, burying his face into his neck. 

“I can’t believe you did this!” He pulled back from the embrace and looked back at his sister. “And I can’t believe mom and dad let you fly alone!” 

“Darren asked them a while ago, they’ve been talking, like, all the time, working out “adult” details.” She rolled her eyes at the term she had clearly been told multiple times throughout the process. Chris laughed and pulled her to his chest again, squeezing her as hard as he dared. 

“I can’t believe you went through all of the trouble to do this!” Darren shrugged and felt his face turn hot – He wasn’t normally one to blush so easily, but he wasn’t used to seeing such a burning passion in Chris’ eyes either, not around anyone else, anyway. 

“Yeah, well, I had to do something for your birthday.” He mumbled, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck. The three of them just stood on the porch until Hannah groaned and pulled away from her brother. 

“Uhhh, can we tell him about the next part of his surprise?!” 

“Wait, there’s more?!” Chris’ eyes almost bulged out of his head. Darren nodded and gestured to Hannah to speak. 

“WE’RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!” 

\--

DisneyLand was hot, even in the middle of May. Darren really thought that it would be cooler, but of course it wasn’t. They tried to stay cool by eating a bunch of Dole Whip, Mickey shaped ice cream bars, and all of the water they could handle, and luckily they made it to sunset. Darren really wanted to watch the fireworks with Chris, even if it was nothing special, it was just something he had dreamed of doing since… Well, probably since he’d met him, but he wasn’t going to admit to it being that far back. 

Hannah was starting to drag about an hour before the fireworks show, so the three of them found a cozy spot on the grass and Hannah settled down, laying her head on Chris’ lap, falling asleep within minutes. Chris gazed down at her adoringly before looking up at Darren. 

“Thank you for this.” He leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He still wasn’t one for PDA, but ever since Valentine’s Day, he’d been okay holding hands in secluded areas or chaste kisses occasionally. Darren smiled and leaned into him, pressing their shoulders together. 

“Anything for my favorite human on the planet.” 

“No, seriously. Thank you. I don’t know how you always seem to know exactly what I need, when I need it, it’s like you read my mind or something.” Darren laughed. 

“Hmmm, maybe I do! In fact…” He trailed off, looking into Chris’ eyes. “I can tell what you’re thinking right now!” 

“Oh yeah?” Chris raised an eyebrow, a small smirk coming to his lips. Darren concentrated for a second before speaking again.   
“You’re thinking of how much you love me, how you can’t wait to take me home and ravage my body, and also you really want to hit me right now because I’m such a dork!” 

“OKAY!” Chris shoved him a little and shook his head. “Now THAT was freaky!” 

“Nah, I just know you, Colfer. Deal with it.” They kissed again, this time letting their lips linger. Darren opened his mouth to deepen the kiss when a bang sounded from above them. “Would you believe me if I told you I planned that?” Darren grinned against Chris’ lips. 

“Not a chance.” Chris smiled right back and closed his eyes, letting the kissing continue.


	12. To Know Him is To Love Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - To Know Him is To Love Him - Amy Winehouse  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"Just to see that smile, Makes my life worthwhile"_

** August 2013 **

Lazy days with Chris were some of the best days of Darren’s life. With how frequently they were running around working, playing shows, seeing friends, filming, and writing, they barely got two seconds to themselves. Darren had even went on tour for his music over the summer, something he had always dreamed of doing, and had missed Chris every step of the way. He definitely wouldn’t give it up, nor would he choose to do it any different, but he was on the road for the whole of June, and then he and Chris were so busy for the month of July that the only time they really spent together were when they showed up at each other’s doorsteps late at night to crash in bed together. 

August brought reprieve. They had a couple of weeks together before filming for Glee started, and they used them mostly just lounging around the house, hiking, going to the pool, and doing things they really took for granted when they were too busy to enjoy life. They even hiked all the way up to the Hollywood sign one day, and Chris didn’t apply sunscreen nearly as much as he should have, so he ended up SUPER red while Darren just ended up with a dark, even tan. Because why not, right? 

Once filming for Glee started in the third week of August, life was on fast forward. The show was in its fifth season and while things should have been working like a well-oiled machine, every day was _hard_. Getting through dance scenes was painful, remembering his lines was difficult, and sleeping at night was near impossible. He knew that Chris was feeling the same, unfortunately, as they often stayed up late together, tossing and turning. They had some kind of unwritten rule where they just wouldn’t talk about the difficulties, but they both knew each other well enough to see what was going on. 

After one particularly hard day on set, Darren waited in Chris’ trailer for him to be done with his scene. He curled up on his bed and stuffed his face in his pillow, trying not to cry. He’d never really been the kind of person to cry a lot, but he wasn’t emotionally stunted – He’d been raised to feel his emotions and cry if he wanted to, no matter what anyone else thought, but he didn’t even know why he wanted to cry in the first place! When he thought about his life, he had everything he wanted, and while he knew that mental health didn’t have rhyme or reason to it, and life wasn’t a competition, he still didn’t see why he was feeling like he would rather die than wake up every morning. 

Tears started leaking out of his eyes and he didn’t even bother stopping them. He cried until his shoulders shook with the effort and he was gasping for breath. The door to the trailer banged open and he jolted, pulling his face from the pillow to look at the door.   
“Oh my god, Dare, wh-” Chris broke off what he was saying as he rushed to his side, placing one hand on his back and the other on his cheek, wiping the tears as they fell. 

“I don’t know.” He whimpered, leaning his cheek into Chris’ hand and closing his eyes. “Everything is just so hard.” Chris leaned in and pressed his lips to his forehead, giving him a comforting kiss. 

“I know, D, I know.”

\--

Somehow they made it to Chris’ place, Darren didn’t remember getting to the car, the car ride, or even getting into the house. All of a sudden, he was laying on the bed, Chris pulling his clothes off, and then following suit. He climbed into the bed next to Darren and wrapped him in his arms, taking the position of caretaker as Darren needed him to. They lay like that for over an hour, just breathing together, trying to exist without freaking out or crying or anything. 

“Why does this feel so much harder than it has before?” Darren finally broke the silence, whispering into the darkness around them. 

“I don’t know.” Chris tightened his embrace. “I think this is just life, and sometimes it sucks.” 

“I know, but why?” He pulled back and looked through the darkness, able to make out Chris’ eyes and the outline of his lips. 

“If you really want the answer to that, you’re probably going to need to see a therapist.” Chris tried to joke, but it fell flat and he pressed his lips together. “We’re both really busy, and there’s so much going on, we don’t have time to rest, and it just… It’s just hard, Dare.”

“I miss you all the time.” He bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, feeling braver to speak his mind if he couldn’t see him. “Even when you’re right next to me, I feel like you’re a million miles away. I want more than just tired nights in bed, ya know?” Chris nodded. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”   
“I mean, I want to wake up and have breakfast and take showers and –“ Chris interrupted him. 

“Move in with me.” Darren’s eyes popped open and he turned his body so he could turn on the side table lamp. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Chris’ cheeks turned red and he shifted his gaze so that he wasn’t looking into Darren’s eyes, but he spoke again. 

“Move in with me.” 

“Are you being for real right now?” Darren held his breath, he’d been wanting to talk about moving in together for a couple of months, since Chris’ birthday, actually, but he was genuinely afraid of bringing it up in case Chris wasn’t ready. 

“I’m 100% for real. All of those things that you want, I want them too, Dare, and maybe life won’t be so hard if we’re living here, together. I mean, you’re here more often than not anyway? So maybe life won’t get easier, but even if it doesn’t…” He trailed off, bringing his gaze back up to look into Darren’s eyes. “At least we’ll be working through everything together?” 

Darren lunged forward and kissed Chris full on the mouth, putting more passion into it than he realized he could even feel right at that moment. He slid his tongue into his mouth and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, holding him as close as possible. Chris laughed and separated their lips enough to speak. 

“I take it that’s a yes?” Darren nodded enthusiastically, a huge smile on his face, and connected their lips again, more content to show Chris just how excited about the idea he was with actions rather with words.


	13. You Send Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - You Send Me - Sam Cooke  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"You thrill me, I know you, you, you thrill me, Darling, you, you, you, you thrill me, Honest you do"_

** Christmas 2013 **

Moving into Chris’ place came with some growing pains. Darren had a tendency to leave his dirty socks all over the place, and Chris preferred to sleep with the window open AND the fan on, while Darren preferred to sleep with the AC. There were a few spats to be had here and there, as anyone would expect from a couple learning to live together for the first time, and by the time Christmas rolled around, they were in a nice routine. 

They’d spend Thanksgiving with Chris’ family, a somewhat awkward experience that left Darren aching to go home, and they’d decided to spend Christmas at their own home, together, making their own traditions and memories without their families. They went all out for decorating, putting up a tree and buying all new ornaments that they picked out together, garland strung everywhere, lights and holiday figures, everything that could be thought of. They even hung lights outside, something Darren was particularly proud of considering he’d never done it himself. 

They spent Christmas Eve snuggled together on the couch, watching _”How the Grinch Stole Christmas”_ (the Jim Carrey version, of course), and _”Love Actually”_ because hello, it was by far the greatest Christmas/romance movie ever to be in existence. They fell asleep halfway through the first Harry Potter movie and woke up around 2am, sore from sleeping on the couch. They dragged themselves up to their bed and fell back asleep comfortably wrapped around each other. 

Christmas morning was a lot different than any Christmas morning Darren had ever experienced. He and Chris didn’t wake up until almost 8am, which was pretty late considering Darren was normally up at the crack of dawn, waking everyone up, eager to open presents. Instead of leaping up, however, he simply poked Chris to wake him up and they lay in bed together, gently kissing and touching and making love, basking in the feeling of not having to do anything on anyone’s time schedule. 

They finally got out of bed a bit after 10am and raced each other to the tree. Friends and family had been sending gifts through the mail for weeks and the pile under the tree was impressive considering there was only two of them. They took turns opening gifts, exclaiming with glee every time they got something they’d been wanting. Finally, there were only the gifts they were giving to each other left and Darren divided them up in front of each other. Darren specifically made Chris save one small gift for last and once the time came to open it, he could barely contain himself, he was so excited. Chris gave him a look, complete with raised eyebrow and judging look, as he unwrapped the package. Inside was a jewelry box and he took the lid off, taking out a name tag. 

“A name tag? What, did you get me a collar too? Are we becoming one of those kinds of couples?” Instead of answering, Darren got up and practically ran outside to the shed. 

When he came back, Chris’ jaw dropped and he started laughing. 

“You got me a puppy?!” Darren put down the small golden retriever and it bounded across the floor to Chris, jumping into his lap and licking his face all over. 

“Well, we’ve been talking about it for a while, and then I saw this little guy at a rescue adoption event the other day, and I just couldn’t help myself!” 

“How the hell did you manage to hide him?!” Darren shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Well, he stayed in the shed, I went and checked on him every couple of hours… Well, except this morning. So… There might be a mess or five that I need to clean up out there.” Chris groaned, but the smile on his face let on that he wasn’t upset. 

“What’s his name?” 

“I figured we could come up with that together. I didn’t have the name tag engraved, I thought it would be kind of rude to name our first fur child without your input.” Chris face blushed bright red. 

“Our first fur child, huh?” Darren bit his lip and smiled, a little embarrassed. 

“Oh shut up, Colfer.” He walked over and sat down next to the puppy and Chris. The puppy turned on him and jumped into his lap, begging for pets and belly rubs. They all played together for over an hour, all other gifts forgotten, until Darren’s stomach growled. 

“Oh god, I forgot how hungry I am. Can we have breakfast?”   
\--

Dinner was made up of Chinese food, considering it was one of the only take out restaurants open on Christmas, AND they really didn’t want to go through the trouble of cooking a huge traditional meal just for the two of them. They Skyped with Hannah for a little while, she was super excited to show them everything she got for Christmas, and she was thrilled to see the puppy. They brainstormed names together, and finally when Hannah suggested Cooper, they knew that was his name. Never mind that it was the name of Blaine’s brother on Glee, it was still a good name for such a cute pup. 

They rolled themselves into the bedroom and stripped down to their underwear, collapsing in the bed, too stuffed from all the Chinese food to do much of anything. A small whine came from the foot of the bed and Darren laughed as he sat up. 

“Looks like we’re gonna need a step stool for him to be able to get onto the bed with us.” He got up and picked Cooper up, depositing him on the bed and crawled back in after them. He went to wrap his arms around Chris, but Cooper wiggled himself in between them, taking turns licking each of their faces. 

“Okay little buddy, this totally isn’t going to work out long term!” Chris laughed and pet Cooper, clearly already in love with him. 

“He’s just a puppy, Chris, be nice to him!” He placed his hand over Chris’ in the dog’s fur and laced their fingers together. 

“You won’t be saying that when he’s 80 pounds and insisting on sleeping in between us every night!” Darren shrugged and scooted as close to Chris as he could with the dog between them. 

“It’ll be fine. We’ll work on it tomorrow. Right now, I’m too happy to worry about it.” Chris smiled. 

“Yeah, me too.”


	14. Because You Loved Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt - Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion  
> Lyric Inspiration for this Chapter - _"For all the love I found in you, I'll be forever thankful baby, You're the one who held me up, Never let me fall, You're the one who saw me through it all"_

** February 2014 **

Darren was a nervous wreck. He’d been planning Valentine’s Day with Chris for months, longer than he’d planned anything in his entire life, and finally the day was there, and he didn’t know if he was going to be able to pull it off. His stomach was in knots and he felt like he was going to throw up at every turn. He’d managed to book a small stage at he and Chris’ favorite coffee shop and had talked the owner into letting him play a few songs, heavily compensated of course, in exchange for only allowing in his own friends and family. 

As everyone walked in, he gave so many hugs and kisses that he couldn’t even count and to be honest, he didn’t even register the faces of the people he was greeting. Chris’ parents walked in with Hannah and she ran up to him, throwing her arms around his middle. 

“I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!” She exclaimed happily as she squeezed him harder than he’d ever been squeezed in his life. 

“I missed you, too, Han!” He squeezed her back as hard as he dared, hoping to gain some courage from her embrace. Karen walked over and gave his shoulder a pat, smiling at him warmly. 

“Darren, so lovely to see you.” He smiled and pulled her in to give her a real hug. 

“Thank you for coming out, Mrs. Colfer. I know it’s a ways away.” 

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Chuck walked up to them and gestured toward the front door.

“Chris is gonna be here in a minute, Lea just called.” Darren nodded and took a deep breath. 

“Wish me luck!” 

“GOOD LUCK!” Hannah shouted, causing everyone around them to look around and laugh. Darren’s face started to burn hot and he knew he probably looked like a tomato. He didn’t normally get nervous, but, well… 

He approached the stage and grabbed his guitar, slinging it over his neck before sitting on the stool in front of a microphone at the front of the stage. He fiddled with the knobs, tuning it a little before the front door opened. His neck snapped up and a huge smile broke out on his face when he saw Chris walk in, looking baffled, as Lea strode in after him. She placed a hand on his back and led him to a table up front that Darren has reserved just for him, with a single red rose and a stuffed animal Chewbacca. Chris simply looked between the table and Darren and didn’t sit down until Lea pushed him into the seat. 

“Alright everyone, now that our guest of honor has arrived, it’s fine to begin!” A small smattering of applause rang out and Darren grinned. “Thank you so much to everyone for coming out on Valentine’s Day and putting your plans on hold. You have no idea how much you all mean to me, and to Chris. Having you here with us, it means so much.” Darren looked down into Chris’ eyes, still seeing confusion. He simply smiled and mouthed _I love you_ before speaking again. 

“Now, as many of you may know, Chris and I have been dating now for a little over a year and a half, but we’ve probably been dancing around the issue for closer to three years.” 

“NO SHIT!” Darren couldn’t see who spoke, but recognized Chord’s voice anywhere and just raised his hand, flipping off the air in the direction of the voice.

“As I was saying, Chris and I have been together for a long time, and we’ve been through a lot. More than I care to mention right now, but suffice it to say, I love this man, and he means the fucking world to me.” Darren’s eyes filled with tears and he choked on the last word as a lump formed in his throat. He coughed a couple of times to clear it as he started to play his guitar lightly. 

“I have so many songs I think about when I think about Chris, and so many more when I think about his and my’s relationship. While this might not be the best song, it’s the one that felt right, and god, please forgive me if I butcher this Celine Dion song.” He broke eye contact with Chris and looked down at his guitar, playing in earnest now, before beginning to sing. 

_“For all those times you stood by me_  
For all the truth that you made me see  
For all the joy you brought to my life  
For all the wrong that you made right  
For every dream you made come true  
For all the love I found in you  
I'll be forever thankful baby  
You're the one who held me up  
Never let me fall” 

_“You're the one who saw me through it all_  
You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'cause you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me” 

Darren finished out the rest of the song, though he had to look away from Chris halfway through because he was crying with a huge smile on his face and it took everything inside of him to stay on the stage and finish the song out. When the final chord was played, he took the guitar off and place it next to him before climbing down from the stage and walking to Chris. He stood in front of him and reached out his hand, pulling the other man to stand with him when he did. 

“Chris, I love you with all of my heart and soul. Before you were in my life, I didn’t know what I was doing or who I was, I thought I had it all figured out, but then you came in and changed everything! You have made my life so perfectly wonderful, and I couldn’t think or a better way to celebrate us and our relationship and our love than this.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a ring box before he knelt down on his knee. 

Chris slapped his hands over his mouth, crying even harder than he was before if possible, as Darren opened the ring box to reveal a simple turquoise ring. “Christopher Paul Colfer, will you do me the honor of marrying me and making me the happiest fucking man in the entire world?” 

“Yes, yes, yes, yes.” Chris repeated over and over as he dropped to his own knees and threw himself into Darren’s arms, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, and finally, his lips. Darren returned every sign of affection, his own tears making an finally appearance as he did so. When Chris pulled back, Darren managed to slip the ring on his finger before kissing him again, unable to keep himself off of him. 

They spent the rest of the night mingling with their guests and enjoying being together. They never strayed too far from each other and randomly throughout the night, Darren would find Chris and give him and quick kiss, or Chris would find Darren and give his hand a squeeze. As everyone started to leave, Chris wrapped his arms around Darren’s waist and lay his head on his shoulder, sighing happily. 

“I can’t believe you did all of this, just to propose.” Darren pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Well, I only plan on proposing to someone one time in my life, so I had to make it count.” He paused, basking in the happy feeling coursing through him. “This is forever for me, Chris, you know that right?” Chris nodded and tightened his hold on him. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s forever for me, too, Dare.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, this is it! I can't believe I did it! I honestly had doubts, though I'm not sure that's what any of you want to hear! I've had so much fun writing this, and even more fun reading your comments and reactions! Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment, leave a kudos, reblogged on tumblr, and simply read it! 
> 
> I don't really write a ton of CrissColfer (as you can tell on my AO3), but I'm on tumblr as sirenscallmeon, I reblog a lot of Glee/Klaine/CC, so if you want to follow, hit me up!


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